FC Bascome Bermuda will host Philadelphia Lone Star FC at the National Stadium in their United Soccer League Division Two debut.

The USL expansion teams will face in their Mid Atlantic Division season opener on May 9, starting from 6.30pm.

The local team, jointly owned by businessman Henrik Schroder and former Bermuda coach Andrew Bascome, will then play their first away game against West Chester United SC on May 17.

Evergreen FC, Lehigh Valley United, Ocean City Nor’easters and Reading United AC are the remaining teams in the Mid Atlantic Division.

FC Bascome Bermuda was officially announced as a member of the USL League Two last week. The USL League Two, formerly the Premier Development League, provides a pathway for players to progress to the professional ranks and boasts member clubs that are owned and operated or in partnership with a professional club.

The league has proven to be a vital stepping stone for top professionals now playing throughout the world, with more than 70 per cent of all selections in the MLS SuperDraft since 2010 having PDL experience, including 66 selections in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.

The league enables elite collegiate players with the opportunity to compete at a higher level of competition while maintaining their eligibility.

The regular season takes place during the summer from early May to mid-July with each team playing a 14-match schedule against their respective divisional opponents on a home and away basis.

In conferences with three divisions, each division winner, plus the highest-finishing second-place team in the conference, advances to the play-offs in the conference semi-finals.

In conferences with two divisions, the top two teams from each division advance to the conference semi-finals.

The play-offs are held in late July, with each conference champion advancing to the national semi-finals and the winners of those matches advancing to the USL League Two Championship in early August.

In addition to league play, League Two teams compete in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, as well as various exhibitions.

Flint City Bucks are the reigning champions.

The Bermuda Hogges were the last local team to compete in the USL.

The Hogges pulled out of the PDL a week before the start of the 2013 season because of financial difficulties, bringing the shutters down on their six years as a USL franchise.

The Hogges were owned by local businessman Paul Scope, who formed the franchise with the help of former professional players Shaun Goater and Kyle Lightbourne in 2006.